Endoscopes are well-known in the art and are commonly used for numerous medical procedures. A control section of an endoscope may include a suction cylinder, air/water cylinder, and the like. Valves may be inserted into these cylinders to control various functions of the endoscope.
For example, a suction valve for an endoscope may be inserted into a suction cylinder of the endoscope to provide suction to the endoscope. When the suction valve is in a normal position, air flow from the distal tip of the endoscope is blocked by the valve. When suction is desired, an operator engages the suction valve (e.g. by depressing the valve) to open the suction channel to create negative pressure that draws air or fluid into the opening of the instrument channel of the endoscope. When the operator releases the suction valve, the valve returns to its normal position blocking air flow and stops the suctioning.
After each use, an endoscope may undergo cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and the like to prevent the spread of disease, germs, bacteria, illness, and the like. Many components of an endoscope may be reusable, such as a suction valve, and must also be cleaned, disinfected, and/or sterilized between uses. Unfortunately, there is usually a great expense associated with maintaining sterility of the equipment. Additionally, there exists significant difficulty for access to the suction valve features to properly disinfect/clean the device.
Reusable suction valves may be assembled from the combination of several metal, plastic, and/or rubber components. As such, there is significant cost associated with the manufacturing of reusable suction valves.
Disposable suction valves obviate the need for cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization, thereby eliminating the cost of repeated cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization. Additionally, disposable suction valves do not require expensive materials to be utilized to manufacture the valves, thereby eliminating the high cost of manufacturing suction valves from expensive materials.
Thus, there is a need to develop new disposable suction valves and methods that reduce or eliminate the need for repeated cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization and reduce or eliminate the risk of infecting the patient. Suction valves that have reduced risk of clogging would also be very useful.